


lucky charms

by fruectose



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, and one more character who we're not going to talk about just the now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24807940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruectose/pseuds/fruectose
Summary: if you're going to turn up unannounced, at least bring your own breakfastWritten for Tumblr prompt: who wouldn’t be angry you ate all the cereal and faked your death for three years
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 32
Kudos: 207





	1. i. the discovery

That Annabeth Chase had managed to live nineteen full years had been nothing short of a miracle. Even without the death wish she had to actively suppress and the general terrible decision making she’d exhibited throughout her life, there were plenty of other factors working against her. For example- and this is truly just one of so many- she’d moved into a crummy apartment in New York with the most powerful demigod of all time, automatically putting herself on the radar for literally every monster in existence.

So, to answer your question, no. She wasn’t _afraid_ when she heard shuffling from the kitchen at a little past six in the morning. She was tired and maybe a little bit irritated because she had a portfolio submission deadline and she had other priorities right now, so if the Underworld’s worst creatures could have just taken one single day off-

“Fuck sake.”

Annabeth paused, her hand resting lightly on the doorknob, and frowned. Monsters didn’t often speak English, much less swear. There was a soft sound of ceramic against wooden and some shuffling. Annabeth hesitated and looked back at her boyfriend, still sleeping soundly. She thought about waking him- this felt like a _them_ situation more than a _her_ situation, but she noticed the drool stain on his chin and the peaceful expression on his face and she figured she’d only call for reinforcements if she really needed it.

Annabeth could deal with a well-spoken Hydra so Percy could catch up on some sleep. The gods knew he deserved some rest. She readjusted her grip on her Drakon-bone sword and slowly crept out of the room towards the kitchen, fully expecting a fight.

What she wasn’t expecting- in a million years- was a human _man_ hunched over their breakfast table. What shocked her the most, though- enough for her to let go of her sword and have it drop loudly on the wooden floors and not even notice- was _who_ she was seeing. His back was turned to her, and it seemed like he was really focusing on whatever he was doing, but Annabeth could have recognized him by the nostril if she had to. She knew those broad shoulders, the angle of his back, the texture of his hair and that carefully crafted manner- rigid enough to anticipate an attack but relaxed in the knowledge that in any fight, he’d win.

He turned around at the sound of her sword and when he met her eye, his face broke into a devilishly handsome grin. If Annabeth could think past the blaring alarms in her mind, she might have said something, ran, maybe even screamed. As it was, she stared in horror as a man she’d watched die set down his spoon and stand up to greet her.

“Annabeth! You’re up!” He beamed, holding his arms open as if about to _hug_ her. The sound of his voice knocked the air out of her. It was only when he got close enough that she could smell his cologne, feel his aura around her that her brain clicked into place. Without thinking, she reached out, placed both her palms on his chest and pushed as hard as she could.

He staggered a couple steps back. Annabeth was both relieved and horrified that she’d actually been able to touch him. Some part of her brain was hoping she’d been hallucinating.

“Luke.” She managed shakily. He didn’t look very offended by her actions. Instead he shrugged his shoulders and sat back down. He picked up his bowl and scooped some Lucky Charms into his mouth. Then he made a face.

“Not that I don’t like the occasional sugar rush but since when did you start eating these?”

Annabeth blinked at him. “They’re… Percy’s.” She said. There was so many questions to be asked, so much to be said. She found it easiest to focus on the small stuff. At least for the moment. At least until her feet could feel the earth beneath them.

“Percy’s?” Luke asked. Then his eyes widened in realization. “Oh. That’s finally happened, huh? I mean, it’s not a surprise. I could’ve called it and I barely even saw you two together.”

“Because you were too busy trying to kill us.” Annabeth pointed out. She leaned back until she hit the wall and sunk down to the ground. Her legs needed a break. Actually, her brain and her heart and every part of her body needed a break.

“Yeah…. I can’t really apologize enough for that. I kind of hoped I could just, you know…”

“Pretend to die, let me mourn you and then turn up again out of the blue one day?” Annabeth filled in for him. She hated to say it, but easing the tension from her legs made thinking a lot easier.

“Again… will an apology ever really be enough?” Luke asked. It was obviously a rhetorical question but Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him.

“You could try.”

“I don’t want to waste your time.” Luke waved off.

“Oh, don’t feel obliged!” Annabeth cried. _Now_ he wanted to be considerate. “Waste my time. You only wasted _nine_ _years_!”

Luke opened his mouth to answer but then he noticed the sword lying next to Annabeth. His eyebrows stitched together. “You fight with a sword, now?” He asked. If Annabeth hadn’t been on the verge of a meltdown, she would have easily picked up on the hurt in his voice, even if he was trying hard to hide it.

“Y-yeah.” Annabeth stammered. She looked down at her blade and a fresh wave of guilt washed over. “My old blade was cursed, apparently.”

Luke smiled. Annabeth glared at him. That was a poor attempt at a joke but it was _not_ an invitation for him to be friendly with her.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She told him. “Why are you here? _How_ are you here?”

Luke ran his hand through his hair. “So apparently, when you’re harboring a titan lord and you stab yourself in your Achilles’ spot, you don’t lose your life so much as you lose the immortal being and the curse itself.” He said. “I woke up in a coffin and had to dig my way out. Lucky my mom wasn’t into cremation, right?”

Annabeth didn’t laugh. She thought about May Castellan. Since her curse was lifted, she’d slowly gained her life back. Annabeth knew because once a month, she and Percy drive up to see her. Which is why Annabeth also knew how distraught May was, the burden she carried and the inconsolable grief she felt for a son who’d met a fate worse than most heroes. Anger roared in her ears.

“You didn’t even think to tell May you were _alive_?” She asked him shakily. She reached out for her sword, and maybe some part of her was ready to slice his head off. “Not your own mother? Or Thalia? Or _me_?”

“Your lives have all been better without me in it.” Luke told her. As if he knew how broken his mother was. As if he had any idea how Annabeth herself was weighed down by the guilt of knowing that she could have saved his life. As if he had any idea how much hurt he’d left behind.

“You’re right.” Annabeth told him instead. “So why’d you come back?”

“I need your help.”

“Of course you do.” Annabeth said, deflating. Why had she thought it would ever be something else? Like Luke Castellan would break into her kitchen one day just because he missed her, just because he cared about her and loved her. “Tell me before Percy wakes up.”

“Percy’s- _here_?” Luke asked. He looked around suspiciously. “Are you _sleeping_ with him?”

“He’s my boyfriend. We’ve been over this.”

“You guys are having _sex_? You’re like, thirteen!”

“I was thirteen when you tried to kill me. I’m nineteen now.” Annabeth told him. Her world was crumbling apart and she didn’t think she’d survive going through this again. Not for Luke. If any man deserved the power to shatter her heart again, it was Percy. And she was confident he’d never, _ever_ take advantage of it. “And you don’t get to pull that shit on me. Or on Percy. Who’s probably going to try to kill you _before_ letting you explain yourself, so I’d recommend you take advantage of my hospitality, state your business and get out.”

Luke sighed. “Okay, look. I need to get out of the country, but I’ve lost my passport. I can’t apply for another legal one because… well, Luke Castellan’s dead. And the guy who made my old passport’s in jail, so… I was hoping to borrow a little something-something… like an invisibility cap, maybe? Just for the journey. I promise I’ll return it.”

“You came here… for my cap?” Annabeth asked. She felt light-headed. It wasn’t even eight in the morning and she needed a drink. Luke exhaled.

“I know I should’ve said something earlier, Annabeth, but…”

“But it felt difficult so you didn’t bother.” Annabeth filled in for him. Luke had the decency to look guilty.

“Look, it’s not much. I’ll just use it to sneak onto a flight, and then once I’m back in Japan I’ll mail it to you. It won’t get lost, I’ve got an in with a mailman.” He tried for a smile and Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest. “It’ll be like I’m dead.” He said. “I promise.”

“Except you’re not.” Annabeth told him. She felt hollow. “You’re alive and healthy and… living in Japan, apparently?”

Luke nodded and shrugged his shoulders. He scooped another big mouthful of cereal into his mouth, but at least he had the decency to look upset while doing it. Annabeth appreciated the moment of silence. She just needed to think. Her first instinct was to forget about all her obligations and assignments and focus solely on helping him out. Then again, was it really right for Luke to run away and let everyone believe he was dead? Did he _deserve_ her time and effort? Her head began to spin.

“What the _fuck_.”

  
She looked up to see Percy standing at their bedroom door, staring between her and Luke, his hand reaching into the pocket of his pajamas.

“Percy…” Annabeth started, but her voice cracked. She took one look at her boyfriend, with his hair sticking up and his jaw clenched and something inside her broke. The whole thing was too much. She put her head in her hands and a sob escaped her.

Percy approached her, bending over her and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Hey.” He said softly. “It’s okay. I’m right here.” He paused and looked up at Luke. “And so is… Luke…”

“Hi, Percy. You’re looking well.” Luke told him casually.

“You’re not… some monster in disguise, are you?” Percy asked dubiously. He looked at Annabeth in confusion, as if begging for an explanation. Annabeth opened her mouth, and when no words came out, she shut it.

“No, just came here looking for some help.” Luke explained the situation again to Percy.

He’d survived and he’d all but crawled out of the earth and then realized he’d been given a second chance at life. He didn’t think twice about it, got a hold of a fake passport and moved to Japan, where the influence of the West, and therefore the gods, was basically non-existent. He’d been fine until he discovered on the news that Tristan McLean’s daughter’s boyfriend, a young man called Jason Grace, was found dead. He thought of it as penance and visited Jason’s grave, because while he didn’t think he could make things right, he wanted to try to stand by Thalia from the shadows. As he was laying down a wreath a bunch of mortal kids managed to steal his wallet and passport- he was very impressed with their stealth- and now here he was. He just needed a way to get out of everyone’s hair, but he couldn’t do it without money or an ID.

Percy, for his part, let him speak without interrupting him at all. When Luke finished, he let out a slow, long breath.

“Okay.” He said with a nod, turning to Annabeth. “It feels to me like this is Annabeth’s choice.”

“What do you think I should do?” She asked him. Percy reached out a hand to her.

“I think you should stand up.” He told her gently, helping her to her feet and slipping his arm around her waist. “And take a walk. And think this out. You’re great at thinking.”

“I’m not leaving you two alone together.” Annabeth protested.

“It’s fine, Annabeth. We’re big boys.” Percy’s voice was calm but she could see the tension on his brow and the intensity behind his eyes as he stared at Luke.

“And I’ll behave.” Luke promised, as if he was doing her some big favour. She was confident Percy could take Luke if he needed to, but she wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t run him through with Riptide. She felt Percy’s pulse against her hip and it dawned on her.

“No.” Annabeth said, shaking her head. “This is… Percy’s decision, too.”

“No, it’s not.” Percy said, but her mind was made up.

She couldn’t claim to fully know Percy- not by a long shot- but they were a team, now. She could sense when he tensed his muscles and feel when he was more upset than he was letting on- a skill, she’d quickly found out, that would come in handy almost _too_ often. Today he wasn’t even trying. He was all but bearing his teeth at Luke. Of course the situation was as upsetting for him as it was for her. She felt guilty for not even thinking about Percy’s emotions. She slipped her hand into his.

“Yeah. It is.” She turned to Luke. “You can stay here but one false move and…” She picked up her sword from the ground and glared at him. Luke nodded and made to take another bite of his cereal. Then he paused, spoon hovering in front of his mouth. He made a face at Percy and straightened up.

“Look, I’m not asking for your forgiveness, but is there a reason you’re glaring at me like that? Are you angry?”

“Am I- of course I’m angry, Luke!” Percy cried, throwing his arms, including the one Annabeth was latched on to, up in the air. She jerked forward and steadied herself, hoping neither of them caught it. “You try to kill me like a thousand times, start a war where I lost my friends, put my girlfriend through hell _, faked your death,_ and now- you’re eating all my cereal? Who wouldn’t be angry!”

Luke blinked, like he couldn’t believe the real crux of Percy’s argument was his breakfast and set the bowl down.

“I’m sorry.” He said. Annabeth knew him well enough to know he meant it, but it really didn’t feel like enough. Percy’s breathing was still ragged and she could tell he was trying to steady himself. His ears had gone pink- that was never a good sign.

“Stay here. We’re going to talk.” Annabeth told Luke before dragging Percy off into their room and locking the door behind them. She leaned against it and ran her palms over her face. “Oh… my gods. Holy Hera.”

She was hoping Percy would be able to ground her- like he often did- but this was too much, even for him. He sat listlessly at the edge of their bed and stared at Annabeth’s closet.

“So… what do we do?” He asked her. “Your cap’s a bust. It’s not got any magic left. You got a plan?”

Annabeth frowned. “What?”

“You know, some way to manipulate the system. Sneak him across the globe. This is like, your _thing_.” He gestured vaguely.

“You think we should help him?” She asked him. Percy shrugged.

“You don’t want to?”

Annabeth hesitated. A part of her did want to help him- not just because it meant he’d be out of her hair for good, but also because after all these years, every cell in her heart was begging for her to move past all his crimes. He was doing well in Japan. Besides, shouldn’t he be rewarded for trying to do the right thing by visiting Jason’s grave?

“I… do.” Annabeth admitted quietly. Percy’s shoulders slouched but he didn’t put up any fuss.

“Fine. You don’t need to explain yourself.”

“It’s different with Luke.” Annabeth tried anyway. She’d hurt Percy on Luke’s behalf so many times in the past. She didn’t want it to happen again.

“Yeah. It always was.” Percy said miserably.

Annabeth knew she had about a three second window before he shut her out. She’d already done the damage- if she went back on her word now, Percy would just assume it’s because he’d somehow pressured her into not doing what she wanted. Her boyfriend was _so_ complicated, that way. Annabeth just needed some time to _think_.

“No.” Annabeth said. “Um… I just… I need to think. But if I think too long, I’ll lose you to your own brain. So… I’m going to think out loud.”

She paced up and down the room. “Luke is doing well in Japan, right? He isn’t hurting anybody. He stayed away to avoid causing any more pain. That was noble. If we help him, he could go back and do just that.” She started. Percy nodded and watched her. She wished he’d hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay and kiss her until her lips were sore. Also, if there was some genie listening in, she wouldn’t mind this Luke problem disappearing. And a hot tub.

“But if we did that,” Annabeth shook her head. Her mind loved to run. She needed it to slow down for a quick minute. “What would we tell May when we saw her? What about Thalia? Are we supposed to lie to the people we care about for him? By helping him, we’d make our own lives complicated.”

“Don’t blame yourself that’s a Luke effect.” Percy said glumly. “But you’re right. I refuse to let him drag you down again. These secrets will only weigh you down. We’re just getting to the good part.”

“And if I did find a way out for him, you’ll get angry for forgiving him too easily.” Annabeth told him. Percy looked down at his hands and interlaced his fingers. Annabeth stopped pacing and waited.

“I won’t.” He said quietly. He wore a pained expression when he met her eyes, but pursed his lips and shook his head. Honest. “I swear on the Styx, if you want the both of us to personally escort him to Japan, I’ll do it. And I won’t resent you for it.”

“What?” Annabeth asked. Her head spun. Was this his way of giving her his blessing? But Percy wasn’t hiding anything.

“You say the word, I’m in.” He told her. “Luke is your family. If this were my mom… I’d do anything to be sure she’s happy.”

The only difference was Sally Jackson would never, in a million years, put Percy through anything quite like this, but Annabeth was happy he was supporting her. She nodded and sat down beside him, close enough that their elbows brushed against each other. Her brain was running through every possibility and she felt her forehead heating up.

“The faster you make your decision, the more Lucky Charms I can save from his evil clutches.” Percy said with a small smile.

“I don’t think I could face May again if I let him run away.” She admitted.

“Me neither.”

“She’ll be so thrilled he’s safe.” Annabeth continued. “Luke never knew her without the curse. He deserves to see her now. So healthy.”

“But if we get him close to May, Hermes will find out.” Percy pointed out. “And he’s literally the messenger to the gods. Luke could get severely punished.”

“And if we let him go, we’re letting May suffer.”

They both fell silent for a long time. “I wonder why Hades never said anything.” Percy said. “Or Nico. Do you think they even know?”

  
Annabeth shrugged. “I’m not sure… he must have been dead for a while when we buried him. Maybe they just didn’t notice.”

“Maybe they thought he was one of the escaped souls from the Doors of Death.” Percy pointed out.

“I guess.” Annabeth said miserably. “I just wish we knew what to do.”

“This sucks.” Percy said.

“Do you think he deserved to die?” She asked him after a beat. She hated how timid she sounded, but a part of her wasn’t ready to hear his answer. Despite everything Annabeth felt, Percy was right in his dislike for Luke. What if he thought the right thing to do was have Hades take Luke back into the Underworld? Could she handle the guilt of killing Luke twice?

Percy took a beat before answering. “I think he isn’t dead.” He said. “And that’s all that really matters.”

His answer was so balanced, so considerate and so _Percy_ that Annabeth couldn’t help but smile. She reached out and placed her hand in his.

“We’ll make the right decision, Annabeth.” Percy told her. There was a confidence in his tone that didn’t quite match the conflict in Annabeth felt but it was reassuring.

“How are you so sure?”

“Because we’re a team.” Percy said simply. “And we’re the best damn team there is.”


	2. ii. the chat

It was _Annabeth’s_ decision. Percy was just the boyfriend. His role was to support her, no matter what.

Of course Percy had his own preferences as to what to do with their… _problem_ , but he was also fully aware of the difference between him and Annabeth. Whatever she chose, he’d promised to stand by her, and he’d meant it. What he reallˆy wasn’t expecting for her to do was just put off on deciding for an entire month.

“Here’s the deal.” She’d said at seven in the morning, thirty days ago. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Luke. “I’ve got a string of big submissions that I’m not fucking up just for you, so this is where we stand now. You’re staying here so I can keep an eye on you. While you’re here, you will not initiate conversation with Percy. If he speaks to you, you can answer, but if I find you trying to aggravate him, you have me to deal with.”

“I’m not dying to talk to Jackson either, you know.” Luke had grumbled and Annabeth had ignored him.

“Second, stay away from the Lucky Charms.” She’d looked pointedly at Percy. “And third, if we have anyone over I’m going to need you to pretend you don’t exist. I don’t know how I’m supposed to explain this to anybody.”

Since then, life had been weird, to say the least. Annabeth worked and Percy worked and Luke… contributed an awful lot to the groceries for someone who didn’t have any money. Percy would ask him if he’d been stealing, but he figured he could at least claim plausible deniability if Luke got caught. Luke was tidy and he kept to himself and slept on the couch. Twice a week he’d even cook them a mean steak or a lasagna that rivaled Sally Jackson’s. He’d fixed their laundry machine and Percy was grudgingly forever indebted to him for even cleaning out Annabeth’s hair from the bathroom drain. Far as roommates go, Luke wasn’t the worst.

Unfortunately, that didn’t quite absolve him. Instead, seven years of pent up frustration with Luke only grew exponentially in the month he’d stayed with them. By the time Annabeth’s last presentation rolled around, Percy had hit boiling point and he was ready to have his old life back. They’d barely spoken. The only time Percy had even heard Luke talk was when Annabeth was home. They’d chat a little bit about their days, chat about classes and the weather and that would be it. Percy kept his mouth tightly shut then, balled his fists under the table and taken deep breaths to stop himself from climbing over and punching the guy’s lights out.

It wasn’t that Luke was actively doing anything- it was just his presence that was beyond irritating. Percy missed the time they thought he was dead. It couldn’t be said about many people, but Luke Castellan was of the rare breed of people who were more likeable dead than alive.

Tonight was going to be different.

Annabeth’s final presentation had been yesterday, which meant she’d spent all day today catching up on the months’ worth of sleep. When she woke up tonight, the three of them would sit down to have the Talk to decide what would become of him. Luke tried to play it cool, but his nervousness seemed to radiate off of him, only serving to put Percy on edge. She hadn’t spoken about Luke once since he’d moved in with them. Percy had absolutely no idea where her mind was.

In an ideal world, she’d choose to feed Luke to the dogs but that seemed a little unlikely. Percy had a feeling she was going to want to personally escort Luke out of the country, and since he couldn’t fly, she’d choose to do it alone. Already he didn’t like her answer, and Luke’s anxiety was _not_ helping him keep a cool head right now.

It was her choice- he’d made that abundantly clear; Luke was, after all, _her_ adoptive brother- but they’d handle it together, even if Percy wanted to run Luke through with Riptide every time he saw him. He was trying to be mature for Annabeth. That’s what adults did, right? Percy was an adult; mature adults didn’t murder their girlfriends’ somewhat brothers who nearly singlehandedly ended all of Western civilization and tried to redeem themselves by faking their deaths only to turn up years later and spend a month on their couch- or at least he didn’t think they did.

Then again, Percy thought as he watched Luke sit on the edge of their couch and bounce his foot while flicking through the TV, there was no real standard for maturity when dealing with the situation that he’d found himself in.

“Anything good on?” Percy asked through a clenched jaw, because Annabeth was still soundly asleep and he was going to explode if Luke didn’t calm down, _now_. He walked over and sat on the sofa chair, pointedly ignoring all the space beside Luke on the couch.

“I don’t know.” Luke admitted. “Not really watching.”

He skimmed through the news channels and the sitcoms and the reality shows. A storm was headed towards _somewhere_ and Monica and Rachel were complaining about _something_ and the big, blonde guy didn’t get the rose for _some reason_. There was shuffling in the bedroom and Percy felt his pulse quicken with anticipation. Luke must have heard it, too, because while his face remained neutral, the channels whizzed by faster. The answer was urochordate for five thousand dollars, the music video was a flash of neon light, the clients hated their home renovations-

“Hi.”

The TV went dark and she was there, in a pair of pink running shorts and a sports bra and a black hoodie over her shoulders. She looked between Percy and Luke, both of who took a break from scowling at the screen to scowling at her and bounced on the balls of her feet. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, which Percy knew to be her go-to hairstyle for decision making (it gives the _illusion_ of control, Percy), but her eyes were hazy. She was _confused_ , he realized. She genuinely had no idea what to do. She looked at Percy in silent panic.

“Hi.” Luke said, straightening up. The tension in the air was building. Annabeth broke eye contact with Percy and stared at him, as if he’d fallen in from outer space.

“You okay, babe?” Percy asked hesitantly. She’d gotten suddenly pale.

“I am… going on a run.” Annabeth announced. She didn’t wait for an answer and kept her gaze firmly on the floor as grabbed her shoes in her hands without even pausing to pull them on and left. The door slammed shut and Percy and Luke looked at each other.

“She’s going to take a while.” Luke sighed like he _knew_. He leaned back and crossed his legs, settling on watching the Kardashians on mute, for whatever purpose that served. He shouldn’t be allowed, Percy thought, to be so comfortable in his home- in _Annabeth’s_ home, not after what he’d put her through. But Annabeth was gone, now- to think. That could take anywhere from five minutes to an entire day. If there was ever a chance to actually talk to Luke, it was now.

“You could apologize to her, you know.” Percy told him.

Something in the air shattered. Luke looked over with raised eyebrows, as if he’d been waiting for that for a while, and maybe he had. Percy had been waiting, too. The entire apartment seemed to exhale. Some unspoken seal was broken. The façade of normalcy, bound by Annabeth’s rules, was wiped away and Luke and Percy were finally _looking_. Seeing each other for who they really were- men who bore too heavy a burden, men who survived against all odds, men who, in their own twisted ways, loved Annabeth.

“And say what?” Luke asked. He stared vacantly ahead but he was honest. There was no need for any lies now. Percy and Luke were connected by Fate, by a prophecy foretold years before they were born. They had nothing to gain or lose with each other. Underneath the resentment, the jealousy and the treachery, there was _nothing_. They were two men; and that was all.

_And say what_? Percy repeated in his own mind. Sorry for betraying you? Sorry for manipulating, cheating and lying to you? Sorry for trying to kill you and your friends? Sorry for placing a weight that no child should ever need to have the strength to bear on you? It didn’t matter now. Whether Annabeth chose to forgive him was up to her- there was nothing for him to say. They were family. Sometimes the most complicated situations were that straightforward with family. It occurred to Percy that it wasn’t Annabeth he wanted Luke to make an effort with at all.

“Fine.” He said. “You could apologize to me.”

“I’m sorry.” Luke said. There was no sarcastic follow-up, no snide comment. But he wasn’t sincere, either. Percy scowled at him.

“For?”

“Eating your cereal.” Luke gestured vaguely. “Whatever you want me to be sorry for.”

“You _ruined_ my life.” His voice shook with anger. The man had some nerve, rolling his eyes like that.

“Is your life really that bad?” Luke said. “You saved the world, got the girl, live in a decent apartment in Manhattan, considering… what more do you want?”

“I don’t know, like, four years of my life back? Would be nice to not still carry guilt for Silena, and Beckendorf, and Lee - would be nice to share the blame with you.” Percy spat. “But you’re living it up in fucking _Asia_ , not a care in the world, not like you had any idea that Annabeth still grieved for you, that she still has nightmares of losing you again. You’re doing just fine, Luke. You have nothing to apologize for, you’re right.”

Luke was quiet. Kim and Kourtney argued silently with waving arms and projectile Louis Vuitton bags. After what felt like an eternity passed between them, he cleared his throat.

“I’m a coward.” His voice was only just above a whisper and he avoided Percy’s gaze. _Tell me something I don’t know_ , Percy thought drily. “For wanting to run away- I know it’s weak. But I can’t… I can’t stay here. Can’t make things right. Not even for her.”

Even if she won’t say it, Annabeth wanted Luke to stay; to fix what he’d broken and to rise above his fears. Percy supposed the both of them knew that as well as the other. That was the only reason she hasn’t dropped everything to get him back to his safe haven. She wanted him around, wanted to believe the best in him could still somehow outshine the damage he’d created. It was what Percy loved most about her, and judging by the look on Luke’s face, that might be another thing they had in common.

“You could do it.” Percy said. Don’t get him wrong, he wanted Luke to be gone more than anything in the world- but he _wasn’t_ dead. He was sitting here, agonizing over leaving Annabeth again, and there were only so many ways this could play out. Annabeth and Percy’s lives were never really going to be the same, regardless of where he was. The least Percy could do was _try_ , for his girlfriend’s sake. “We can help.”

Luke snorted. “You really want me around?”

“No.”

Luke paused, scratching the stubble on his jaw pensively. “I can’t stay.”

“You can’t.” Percy agreed. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.”

“You’d like if I got caught by the big man. Struck down by lightning. Carried away by an eagle, maybe.”

“If you stayed, I won’t care what happens to you.” Percy vowed. It was the not knowing that would haunt them. “If you leave… I’ll wonder.”

Percy got to his feet while Luke contemplated it. “You want a beer?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. He walked up to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of IPA. Luke accepted it wordlessly and Percy settled back in his chair. Luke ran a finger around the mouth of the bottle.

“Never thought I’d be sharing a beer with you, Jackson.” He let out a small laugh.

“The last time we shared a drink you set a scorpion on me and left me to die.” Percy said amicably.

“Somehow this is even more painful.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re not the one who got stung.” Percy said. A trace of a smile played on Luke’s lips, and for a second, they were old acquaintances. Old acquaintances with a billion strings attached, sure, but acquaintances nonetheless. Luke opened his mouth and Percy thought he was about to apologize.

“Will you answer me honestly when I ask?” He said instead. He met Percy’s eye and- he was twenty-six years old, a grown man- but he was also just as much scared and wild and a teenage runaway. Suffering alone; desperate. He was giving Percy something more- the chance to kick him when he was already down. How could Percy refuse?

“Probably.” He said. Luke took his first sip of his beer.

“Does she still love me?”

Percy wasn’t sure why he was caught off-guard by that. It was obvious Annabeth still held a special place in Luke’s heart. He’d risked everything to come here for help. It seemed logical, to wonder if she’d stopped feeling the same after his shroud was burned. It was the vulnerability in his voice that was so foreign- it took Percy a moment to steady himself before speaking.

“I think…” He said slowly, considering it. Annabeth barely ever talked about Luke. She never mentioned anything about her childhood, nothing from her days on the run, her first few years at Camp. Percy thought about the sour look on her face when Chiron had commended her, said her fighting style was reminiscent of Luke. “I think there will always be a part of her that does.”

“Do I deserve it?”

“I’m not the man to ask.”

“Okay, do _you_ think I deserve it?” Luke pushed. Percy paused.

“We can both agree that you might have made one mistake too many, right?” Percy looked up at him. “It should have cost you more.”

“And being alive is not enough?”

Percy’s head snapped up at that.

 _Is surviving not punishment enough_?

That was a hopelessness in him that Percy _knew_. Hopelessness that Percy saw when he looked in the mirror, heard when he spoke, felt when he closed his eyes every night. He thought about a conversation he’d had with Jason Grace a year ago, sitting on his bed in a flying warship. After all he’d been through, after the hurt and pain- he’d developed an appreciation for death.

Mortals churned out spite and murder and tragedy, and then when the world has had enough, they paid their dues with death. Death was what the cruel _owed_ the universe, and Percy Jackson was as cruel as the next guy. How many times had he himself felt the wrath of the universe, seen the signs that his time was over, that he’d done enough damage in his nineteen years, and then, against logic, continued on living? How many times had he felt his pulse and wondered if it was a miracle or a curse that he’d beat all odds just so his heart would keep at it? How many times had he wished it would just end so he could take a break from carrying around all the guilt?

Surviving, as a reward, was a farce. Surviving when Charles Beckendorf hadn’t felt a lot like punishment. Surviving when Calypso was still stuck in a curse felt a lot like punishment. Surviving so his mom could spend her life worrying about his wellbeing felt like punishment. Surviving just so Annabeth would fall in love with a man who hated himself felt like punishment. Surviving so he could just continue to be himself- unremarkable, deeply flawed Percy Jackson- felt an awful lot like punishment. Surviving was Percy’s punishment, and he had never even tried _once_ to bring down the West.

“For the things you did?” Percy said finally with a shaky breath. “No. I don’t think it is.”

“You resent your life.” Luke noted.

“I shouldn’t.” Percy told him. “Not the way you resent yours.”

“And yet here we are.”

“I’m a killer. I like when other creatures are hurting. I like when I’m causing it.” Somehow it felt more honest to tell Luke than it ever was to tell Jason. With Luke, there was no judgement. The worst thing Percy had ever done- Luke had done ten times worse.

“You’re thinking about monsters. They regenerate.”

“I wouldn’t know. I was too busy reveling in the feeling to have noticed.” Percy’s tongue felt thick.

Luke was quiet for a long time. Percy took a swig from his bottle and rubbed his temples. He wasn’t expecting anything from Luke, but it was cathartic to say it without the fear of someone who cared about him hearing. If his mom knew- if _Annabeth_ found out- he was going to be in some real trouble. They already worried too much about him. He couldn’t imagine what they’d go through if he told them he also hated himself for being alive.

“You love her.” Luke said finally. He leaned his head against the the back and closed his eyes. His chest rose and fell, calm, and the evening sun lit up one half of his face. He glowed, almost golden, reminding Percy uncomfortably of a Titan lord. “Annabeth.”

That was a stupid observation. “How could I not?”

“You love her enough… that you live for her.” He said. “And your mom. Your friends. Grover, probably.”

“They make it easier.” Percy allowed. What did Luke have, he wondered, to make it easier. He was on the other side of the world from the only two people who gave a damn about him.

“She won’t like hearing that.”

“She won’t hear it.”

Luke lets out a tired, humorless laugh. “Get over yourself, Jackson. You take on everyone’s problems. You hate yourself. You’re more than a vessel for someone else’s happiness. It’s tired. Boring. If you want to be revolutionary, be happy in a world that thrives off of your misery. Or at least try.”

“If I wanted psychotherapy, I’d go to a shrink, thanks.”

“That’s what I’m telling you. _Get help_. And be honest with Annabeth.”

Percy snorted. “Since when are you concerned with my wellbeing?”

“I’m not.” Luke told him. “I care about Annabeth. And if you… if you leave her, she’ll have nothing.”

“Thanks. I’m not leaving her any time soon.” Percy said drily. As if that’s what Luke was really about to talk about. _Leaving Annabeth_.

“And you’re okay with that?” Luke asked. He opened one eye to look at Percy. “Letting that little lie fester, grow… quietly? Forever?”

“I hope she decides to strangle you to death.” Percy told him earnestly. Luke bared his teeth when he laughed and it struck Percy how handsome the guy was. He’d gotten even leaner, even tanner, even more attractive. Maybe renouncing the evil villain lifestyle had some health benefits- Percy was going to have to look into that when he had the time.

“You’re a good kid.” Luke rolled his neck.

“Someone has to be.”

“Is that what you were thinking?” Luke asked. His voice was level and his eyes closed. “When you jumped in after her? That it was what any good kid would do?”

He could just have easily kicked Percy in the groin and punched him in the jaw, and it would have been less of a blow. The air suddenly was too heavy to breathe and Percy gaped at him. Luke still wasn’t looking at him, but his lips pulled up in a smile. He liked it, Percy realized. He wallowed in Percy’s shock. _Look at everything I know about you_ , he was saying, _all while you thought I was dead_.

“She told you?” Percy choked out. Annabeth, to his knowledge, hadn’t sat down for a chat with Luke once. When Percy asked her about it, she’d shrugged, made herself another cup of tea and gone back to fixing the dimensions on her high school designs. It seemed unlikely that she’d been having heart-to-hearts with him in the middle of the night after Percy had fallen asleep. Then again, this morning it had seemed unlikely that Percy would be having a heart-to-heart with him, too, and look at them now.

“She barely breathes the same air as me.” Luke said. His mouth twisted a little but he didn’t sound bitter- just a little wounded. _Good_ , Percy thought. Luke Castellan and his feelings wouldn’t dictate the way Annabeth lived anymore. She was older now. “News travels fast. _Especially_ to children of the messenger god.”

“Somebody else knows you’re alive.” Percy realized.

“Lots of people do.” Luke said breezily. “I have colleagues, _friends_ , even, you know.”

“The kind of friends you’ll try to toss into the depths of hell?” Percy asked. He felt the same panic rise in his throat as it had seven years ago, when he was clinging desperately to Grover as his shoes nearly dragged them all over the edge. The pit had been so scary then.

“Seems like you made it to Tartarus without my help, anyway.”

“So did Annabeth.” Percy accused. _Are you happy, Luke? Happy that Annabeth shared his struggles?_

“Annabeth is stronger than either of us.” Luke said. “She would have survived either way. Just her and the power of will. You and me, on the other hand… the Cocytus alone should have killed you.”

“It almost did.” Percy admitted. He’d nearly drowned in despair, he thought. Annabeth had got him out of there, she’d kissed him until he couldn’t hear the wailing, but she was a little late. The desolation had already seeped into his veins, become a part of who he was.

“And the Acheron?” Luke asked.

Of course he wanted to know what happened in the river of pain. The _Acheron_ , he thought back. Percy was too used to sorrow for the river to hurt him. It was doe-eyed, sanguine Annabeth who’d struggled then- he wondered if she’d ever felt hopelessness like that before. Pure power of will, Luke had said. Annabeth didn’t know futility so she would never succumb to it. Percy and Luke were the same breed. The kind that flourished with it.

“Cakewalk.” Percy told him.

Luke let that lie of omission settle uncomfortably between them. Percy wondered if he knew that wasn’t the whole truth. If he knew how Annabeth spent the last three years believing she was the reason he was dead. If he didn’t push it because he was afraid of what Percy might tell him. There was with cruel intent that Percy spoke again.

“Annabeth almost… threw herself in.” He watched Luke closely but the words seemed to slide off of him like water. He looked so peaceful, he could have been sleeping. He wasn’t, though. He was listening closely, Percy knew; absorbing any details he could, savor what he learned about the years he’d missed. He didn’t understand her guilt, still.

“She blamed herself, you know. For you.”

“I know.”

“How?”

“Because I know her.”

How could he say that, Percy wondered. He hadn’t had an honest conversation with Annabeth in seven years. How could he still pretend to know her? There was a tension in his jaw that Percy hadn’t noticed earlier. He felt some satisfaction in knowing that Luke hurt. A part of him didn’t want to drop it then. _What about the others_ , he thought- Annabeth blamed herself for everyone who’d died those four years. She carried all Luke’s guilt alone. Unlike Percy, she’d been brave enough to talk about it. Unlike Percy, she didn’t think that saying out loud would make it true. Unlike Percy, she wanted to believe that she could bounce back from the shame one day.

“For the others, too. For Zoë and Bianca, because they died on a quest to save her.”

“She’s an idiot.” Luke said. There was a hostility in his voice that made it personal. “The Hunters never cared about her.”

It dawned on Percy that Luke _blamed_ Thalia. He’d accused Percy of not being honest with Annabeth, and now he was blaming Thalia for leaving her on her own. What was next, he wondered? Would he say Grover was the one who manipulated her, trapped her under the weight of the sky and then held her hostage for weeks? Maybe Chiron was the one who tried to _murder_ her and her friends?

“Thalia has been by Annabeth’s side since the day they met.” Percy told him coldly.

“Yeah, Thalia’s a _great_ friend.” Luke sneered. “Not to bring up the time she kicked me off a cliff.”

“You would have killed her if she hadn’t.”

“Tell me, did she cry? When she thought I was dead, did she grieve?” Luke let out a humorless laugh when Percy didn’t respond.

It hadn’t been a big ceremony- just Chiron, Thalia, Grover, Percy, Annabeth and May Castellan. Even Luke’s half brothers didn’t want to come to his funeral. Annabeth and May cried a lot. Chiron delivered a heart-felt speech and Grover shed a few tears. Percy and Thalia had stood with their shoulders pressed to each other’s and stared wordlessly at the burning shroud. Hermes had come in at the end and given him a final blessing and Thalia had leaned in to Percy and whispered that she had best get going. She hadn’t been upset. Not frustrated, not angry, not even a little sad. She was there because she had to be. She was there to put an arm around Annabeth and wipe her tears away. She was there because for two years, the dead man had been her friend, but those two years were a long time ago and she had other priorities now.

“No.” Percy hoped that would hurt. Luke was quiet for a moment. Then he downed his drink and got to his feet.

“I’ll get us another.” He said, disappearing into the kitchen and coming back out with fresh bottles. He handed Percy a new one so Percy scrambled to finish off what he had remaining before taking it.

“Annabeth grieved.” Percy took some pity on him.

In her own way, she had. She’d laughed at Percy’s jokes and kissed him and snuck out to the canoe lake in a swimsuit and they’d shared strawberries and cream, but she was grieving. Percy knew she was when he’d catch her staring off into the distance or when she played with the beads of her camp necklace.

It was funny, though, because Percy had seen Annabeth grieve for him, too. He thought about how she had looked while she spoke at his own funeral when he was at Ogygia. Remembered the hollows of her cheeks and the red rims around her eyes. Pale, skinny, weak, in mourning. People who didn’t know her might have thought she was dying.

Percy didn’t know what to make of that, but he took comfort in knowing that for all their similarities, Annabeth couldn’t have felt more differently about losing the both of them. He wanted more than anything to ask Luke exactly what he saw in the Styx.

“I thought she was slipping away from me.” He said instead. Luke frowned in confusion. “You asked why I jumped in after her. I thought I was going to lose her and… I ran after her.”

“You’ve been together three years, then?” Luke asked, ignoring him.

Percy nodded. It was a little awkward to have to admit, and he knew that Luke knew. They’d waited about two hours after he’d ‘died’ before falling headfirst in love. Percy wasn’t ashamed of it, but he thought Annabeth might be now.

“Do you love her?” He asked. There was a right answer to that question.

“She’s the only family I’ve ever had.”

“You’re endangering her life by coming here. If anyone was to find out-”

“One day she’ll get tired of that.” Luke said. Percy frowned.

“Tired of what?”

“You. Treating her like she’s… delicate. Breakable. She’ll get tired of being protected.” Luke said.

“She isn’t indestructible.” Percy told him.

“There’s nothing she’s prouder of than her ability to look after herself. She’ll resent you for it if you take that away from her.”

To some extent, Luke was right. Her entire life, she’d looked after herself. But Luke didn’t see her the last few years. He hadn’t been around to see her at her lowest points, when she was worrying over where Percy might have disappeared to and Clarisse La Rue was begging her to eat. He hadn’t been around immediately after the Giant War was over, and Connor Stoll had taken it upon himself to monitor her routine and check that she was sleeping on time.

Everybody in this world needed someone to lean on at some point, even Annabeth Chase. It had taken her years to learn to let people look after her. She’d never had that before, not unconditionally. But she had changed, now. She let Percy know when she was afraid, or having a bad dream, and she trusted him wholly to help her out. She was an Annabeth that Luke wouldn’t recognize now. Percy’s heart welled with pride. That was his girl- strong enough to do it on her own, and stronger still to accept when she couldn’t. He bit back a smile.

“Maybe she will.” He said. “Isn’t going to stop me from caring for her.”

Luke opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the jangling of keys. The door creaked open and clicked shut softly, like Annabeth didn’t want to bring attention to the fact that she was back, which might have worked better if the door didn’t open straight into the living room, where Percy and Luke were sat. Percy checked his watch, a little surprised to see that she’d been out for almost an hour.

She stood over them then, hands on her hips and sweat dripping down the side of her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she wore a wide smile and Percy had never been more in love.

“Alright, boys.” She said with an air of decisiveness around her. This was it. Moment of truth.

“Have you decided?” Luke asked warily.

“Why do you look so happy?” Percy asked before she could answer. Annabeth grinned, her chest heaving.

“I know what we’re going to do.” She declared. She looked expectantly between them. Luke rolled his eyes and Percy sighed. They’d both forgotten how she did have a flare for the dramatics.

“What are we going to do?” Percy asked with a lazy impression of faux anticipation.

“We,” Annabeth said deliberately, gesturing between the three of them. “Are going on a road trip.”


	3. the roadtrip, pt. i

Even without the being turned into a pine tree and getting possessed by an ancient mythological titan, family was _complicated_ , to say the least, for Annabeth.

  
At least, it used to be; before she met Percy. Seven years it had been since she had nursed him back to health- and with each passing moment, he’d healed her scars until her heart was unmarred and new. As if the twelve years before that had never happened. As if faith in a future as bright as they dared to hope for would stomp out the the shadows of her past.

In another time, Annabeth would have handled the situation easily. A fucked-up family that consistently let you down and then turned up one day, out of the blue, with a suddenly renewed perspective on your relationship? The gods knew she’d been down _that_ road before. If there was one person in the world who was built to deal with Luke and all he was- manipulation, lies, inherent goodness and all- it was Annabeth Chase. She was, by nature, a fighter; a thinker; a problem-solver. This grey ethical ambiguity was exactly the kind of thing she was designed to elucidate.

In retrospect, turning a blind eye to Luke and hoping he’d just disappear wasn’t the most tactical move- but she also couldn’t think clearly when her emotions were raging wild and gnawing away at her sanity. Her family had put her through every variation of the wringer in existence. She’d learned early on to prioritize, and the last month of her sophomore year of college far outranked smuggling out a war criminal. And now she had nothing- just her, her thoughts and all of summer that spanned ahead of her- and she was faced with the same problem she’d encountered a hundred times over.

Annabeth had dealt with the mother of all daddy issues before. She could do it again, she was sure, if she could just remember _how_. She’d been comfortable too long with Percy. What she needed was to get back in touch with the seven year old runaway that had gone into hiding after meeting Percy and ask _her_ what to do.

All she had to do was find her roots.

“Hey, so…” Percy looked down at her over his shoulder as she herded the two men out into the cool evening. It was a little past seven and, Annabeth realized as she looked around, the streets had gotten visibly more crowded since she’d gone home after her run and managed to convince Luke and Percy to get up and out of the apartment. “You know how I usually am totally on your side?”

  
“Please,” She begged. “Don’t fight me on this.”

Truth was, there was no explanation she could give him, because Annabeth had no idea what she was doing. She didn’t have to be the daughter of wisdom to know that shoving three people who could barely exist in the same flat into a car for roughly fifty hours was a _terrible_ idea. All she knew was that her gut said new scenery, fresh perspective, and now here they were.

“This seems insane.” Percy dropped his voice. He glanced at Luke, who was loading up Annabeth’s gym bag and his own backpack in the trunk of Annabeth’s car. “The guy’s a nightmare. Where are we even going?”

Annabeth swallowed and shuffled her feet. “Promise not to be mad?”

Already she’d lost her boyfriend’s trust. His nostrils flared and his jaw clenched and she could tell he was trying to stay cool, for her sake.

“Fine.” He grumbled.

“San Fran.”

Percy stared at her. He stared, and he stared until she had to wave her arm in front of him to see if he was still with her.

“Hello?” She asked.

“You’re nuts. That’s… you’re _insane_!” Percy cried. “I put up with that-” He pointed to Luke who was obviously eavesdropping on them while he pretended to struggle with the trunk. “for an entire month, and that was okay, because you were busy and I didn’t want you to regret your decision or be rushed into helping- or not helping- him out. But now, you want me to go on a _forty-hour_ journey with him?” He threw his hands up. “I… you’re taking the piss.”

“You said you wouldn’t get mad.” Annabeth said meekly.

She had nothing to say for herself. She knew what she was asking of Percy. She’d known she was pushing him closer and closer to his limit with every moment that passed when she wasn’t choosing to surrender Luke to the gods and have them exact their punishment on him. She didn’t know where to start her apology, didn’t know where to begin bridging the gap Luke had wedged between them, but for as long as Luke was there, with them, she needed Percy. He could be mad at her, hate her even- but he _had_ to be there. There was no way on earth she could do this on her own.

“And you said you’d handle this.” Percy seemed unnaturally angry with her. She didn’t think he’d ever glared quite so intensely at her before. She couldn’t recall the last time he’d bared his teeth at anyone who wasn’t a monster. She wanted more than anything in the world to shrink into herself. If Percy was in pain, it was her fault- and she couldn’t even take a moment to try and ease it. “Sometimes people lie.”

Annabeth reached out to him instinctively, but hesitated when her fingers brushed against his wrist. She let out a shaky breath.

“Okay.”

For as long as she could remember, Percy made her brave. Right now he needed her to be brave for the both of them. It was the least she could do to repay him. Annabeth had depended on him for so long. How could she have forgotten that he needed her, too? She breathed in deeply and steadied herself.

“Okay.” She repeated with a nod.

“Okay?” Percy asked softly, anger momentarily forgotten. His eyes were wide, concerned.

“Yeah. I’ll, uh… I’ll take him with me. You can stay home- I don’t mind. I can do this alone.”

Percy’s brow furrowed. “I was right.” He said, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. “You have to be batshit crazy to think I’ll let you haul that human pile of trash across the country on your own.”

He closed the gap between their hands and laced his fingers through hers, sending a renewed shot of adrenaline up her spine. Annabeth straightened up and let him lead her to the driver’s seat and open the door for her. Percy leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before crossing over into the passenger seat. Whatever that outburst had been seemed just as quickly forgotten.

“What we do,” He said quietly as Luke slouched into the back wordlessly and Annabeth started up the engine. “We do together.”

“So,” Luke yawned. He kicked his feet up onto the arm rest up front and tapped his shoe against Percy’s elbow until he moved it off. “Where to, Amundsen?”

Amundsen had it easy, she thought. The South Pole was far warmer than where they were headed. She looked over her shoulder at Luke, at the man who’d promised to be her family when the world had let her down. There was some irony in the situation, but Annabeth couldn’t quite manage a smile.

“We’re going home.”

~

No.

No, Annabeth was _not_ looking forward to seeing her dad or his wife again. She drummed her fingers against the wheel as they left the island. The last time she’d been at her dad’s house was only to get what few possessions she had left with her to move into their Manhattan home. She remembered it had been final. Her father had shaken Percy’s hand and kissed the top of her head and her stepmom had given her a box of shrimp balls for the journey back and it had been a lot like a real goodbye. There had been nothing else for Annabeth to go back to, to go back for.

That had been a year ago. She wasn’t sure they’d want to see her now. How much time had to pass before they missed her, she wondered. How much time before they even considered embracing her.

Next to her, Percy leaned his seat all the way back and pretended not to notice when he smacked Luke in the knee. He crossed his ankles on the dashboard and pushed his sunnies up his nose and seemed to doze off almost instantly.

“He seems easily tired.” There was a laugh in Luke’s voice. “Bet he doesn’t last very long, huh?”

Annabeth looked up at the rearview mirror and caught his eye. He grinned at her, obviously proud of himself for coming up with that. She sighed.

“Is there anything I could say that would make you feel badly enough to lay off of him?” She asked.

Luke shrugged, Manhattan shrinking behind him. The Empire State building stuck out from just beside his neck. There was some observation to be made, something to be said about it- Olympus, over Luke Castellan’s shoulders. So quickly her city, her home, her life- was fading into the horizon. In a couple of minutes, she’d lose sight of New York City and its skyscrapers and she would be alone. She fiddled with the air conditioning. Had it gotten a little bit colder already?

“I just think you could do better.” Luke said.

“No, you just want Percy to be cold and bitter and alone like you are.” She told him.

“Those aren’t mutually exclusive.” Luke rested his head against the seatback.

“You’re not my family anymore.” Annabeth said. Her words sounded bitter, but did no justice to how bad they tasted. She might have hurt herself more than she did him. “You can drop the protective brother act.”

Luke didn’t respond, but Annabeth knew him well enough to know that it was deliberate. He was, at the end of the day, a son of Hermes- protector of orators and storytellers. Luke had always been great at that- choosing his words, his silences, his tone and inflection. Every breath was calculated and careful. It made him formidable to people who didn’t understand him. Annabeth was a seasoned Luke whisperer, and time had done nothing to diminish her senses. She rested one hand on the wheel and reached over to pull her phone out and connected it to the car before playing Tom Misch softly so as to not wake up her boyfriend.

“Is that what you think I am?” Luke asked finally. “Cold, bitter? Alone?”

“No. You’re obviously warm and well-adapted and surrounded by people who love you.” Annabeth said stonily.

She didn’t look back at him, afraid that he might realize how desperate she was for him to tell her she was wrong. Tell her there was more to his life than what he’d let on. Maybe she even hoped, a little bit, that he’d ask if she loved him. That it would be enough for him to stop running. She kept her gaze firmly ahead and any sign Luke might have perceived went unacknowledged.

“You’ve grown up.”

And that, Annabeth had. She’d grown up, leaving the child Luke had rescued; had trained and raised and loved so many years ago behind like the Manhattan skyline. She’d bounded off into the great unknown, to San Francisco and all the suffering and pain it held, unafraid with Percy’s fingers interlaced with hers and a drakon-bone sword in her other hand. There were was no hand left to hold, no space in the Golden City for Luke Castellan.

_Cursed blade_ , she thought drily.

“Can’t stay twelve forever.”

“Yeah, but nineteen… nineteen is eternal.” He’d been nineteen when everything fell apart. A moment in time. Annabeth wondered if he was thinking what she was- if he were nineteen again, nineteen forever- would he be here? Making amends?

“No.” Annabeth breathed. “No. Time moves on. Nobody is nineteen forever. Just ask Kron-” She caught herself. Names were powerful. More so when you were harboring a fugitive from the omnipresent. “Just ask your pal downstairs.”

“Oh, didn’t you hear? He passed away a while ago.” Luke said lightly.

“May he rest in peace.” Annabeth nodded sagely.

“ _Pieces_ , more like.”

Annabeth looked up then. Luke in her rearview mirror, his hair windswept and his eyes reflecting off the warm sunset and his broad shoulders relaxed, the ghost of a laugh on his lips. How many people got to see him like that? This was the closest she got to the Luke she knew. For a second, she could imagine the moat he’d built around himself away, leaving him bare and open in her mirror. Not plagued with his father’s shortcomings, not terrified of his mother’s fate, not driven mad with anger. He was a boy, first. A boy with blue eyes and aspirations and a sense of humor.

_Time moves on_ , she thought again. How much time had to move on before he could go back to this- a _true_ version of himself? Who would soothe the scars he’d inflicted on the world like Percy had done for Annabeth? Her eyes burned with tears.

“I forgive you.” She didn’t need to say it- she supposed they both knew it- but the words tumbled out of her mouth before she even made sense of them. She averted her gaze quickly, but not before she caught the way his mouth formed a small ‘ _o_ ’ and his eyes widened in surprise.

“Annabeth…” He said hoarsely.

It occurred to her that he’d never heard those words before. Not from Thalia, not from Chiron, not from Hermes, and not, she assumed, from Kronos. He was born the hero of the Great Prophecy. He wasn’t afforded a slip-up. Every accident, every mishap pushed him one step closer to the edge. Nobody forgave him for running away from a horrifying home. Nobody forgave him for what happened with Thalia. Nobody forgave him for failing his quest. Even that, he was given out of pity- a favor from Hermes before he set the world ablaze. He’d never been forgiven before. He never stood a chance.

That sounded all too familiar. Annabeth’s stomach churned uncomfortably.

“Listen to me.” Annabeth said. She set the car on cruise control and set her knee up against the wheel and turned around. She gave him a small smile, going against every instinct in the world to meet his eye. Her bones were collapsing in on themselves. She reached her hand out, palm facing upwards. “Luke, _I forgive you_.”

Annabeth didn’t know; didn’t know if she had any authority to say that to him, or if he deserved it, or if hers were the right words. All she knew was that there was another boy who carried the universe’s inadequacies as his own, who deserved forgiveness that he’d never accept. She couldn’t bear to watch someone else she cared about go through that kind of anguish. There was a subtle relief that fell over Luke’s features, and ever so slowly, he placed his hand in hers. His touch was light, like a butterfly chosen to land on her- and his fingers trembled ever so slightly when he did.

The last time she’d touched that hand was when he died in front of her. She could still smell the soot off his clothes, see the burns on his fingers, the blood in his arm. He had taken his last breaths like that, her hand looking even smaller in his.

Luke was far more vulnerable now. Annabeth’s throat closed up at the sight of tears in the eyes of a man she’d never seen cry. There was a certain clarity in his face- like the lowering of a drawbridge- that tugged the corners of his lips up. Maybe absolution wasn’t the right thing to do; but it was kind, and judging by the expression on Luke’s face, kind was enough. People, she thought specifically of the two men in her car right now, deserved _some_ peace. Did it matter how they got it?

“Okay.” His voice was just above a whisper. She’d taken him by surprise. He was quiet for a long time, maybe lost in his thoughts, maybe listening to Tom Misch. What mattered was that he heard her. Percy never heard her when she said it to him. Luke listened. She wasn’t sure if it said more about him, Percy or her.

Annabeth glanced at her boyfriend, who’d switched positions and was now on his side, his glasses slipping off his face at a funny angle. She tried to pay attention to his chest rise and fall, synchronize her breathing to his, as she reached out and ran her fingers through is hair. She wondered what he’d have said if he was awake.

Maybe if she didn’t care about Luke, she’d have an easier time letting him go. She wasn’t stupid, she could tell it’s what Percy wanted- for Luke to be gone from their lives for good. And maybe if she were a better girlfriend, she’d have done it for him. Done it because it made it easier on Percy.

But Annabeth never bragged about how considerate she was. She had never been able to turn Luke away. Maybe he knew that and that’s why he was there- but it didn’t matter. She’d already known how manipulative he could be. She loved him anyway. Luke looked at her now, with large blue eyes and unsure of his place in the world and she wondered how she could ever have been expected to let him fend for himself in this state.

He was angry, he’d made some impulsive decisions and let a darker part of him take control. If you took that away from him, he was painfully similar to Percy. Neither of them saw it, and the only thing they’d ever agree on would be to kill her if they found out she thought so, of course, but that didn’t detract from the fact that they were the two most important people in her life at different phases. They were braver than they should have had to be and stronger than should be possible and they were both leaders who believed in fighting for what was right. If Annabeth turned her back on Luke now, where would she be when her relationship with Percy hit a snag?

Then again, because she wasn’t a completely terrible girlfriend, she also didn’t want Luke around them much longer. That would only serve to put Percy on edge and that was the last thing she wanted to subject him to- more anxiety. Besides, the gods liked to check in with Percy and Annabeth every so often with yet another impossible mission, and she really didn’t want Luke to stay too long and get caught out and punished. She just wanted him near- but not too close- and safe- but made to repent- was that too much to ask?

The New York countryside flitted by outside her window until it became Pennsylvania countryside. Time continued to pass them by, changing ever so slightly as it did.

They were about two and a half hours into their journey when Percy stirred. He groaned and woke up, blinking blearily up at her. Annabeth’s stomach growled in response. She reached over and combed her fingers through his hair once more and he leaned into her touch. At least he wasn’t mad at her anymore.

“Sleeping Beauty awakens.” Luke announced.

“We should stop for dinner.” Percy said sleepily, taking the high road and ignoring him. Annabeth nodded and stifled a yawn. Unfortunately, she was in a car with the two people who knew her best in their own capacities.

“Maybe for the night.” Luke said, just as Percy said,

“Or a place to sleep.”

“It’s not that late.” Annabeth protested. “If we can knock off a couple more hours, it’ll be that much less time before we get to San Fran.”

“I think you should get some sleep.” Percy said.

“I’m sure _you_ know what’s best.” Luke said pointedly.

“Would you rather she exhaust herself half to death?” Percy shot back. The both of them glared at each other. Annabeth sighed and glanced out of the window into the dark evening.

“I’m sure Bloomsburg’s got a nice pizza place.” She decided, taking the first exit out into the town.

She needed to be out of this car.

~

Luke, as it turned out, liked anchovies on his pizza. Percy liked pineapple. Annabeth couldn’t stand either. If they wanted a place to stay the night, they couldn’t afford three separate pizzas. They settled on a plain cheese and a salad so everyone was equally miserable.

“You okay?” Percy asked her quietly.

She felt is eyes on her and turned her head away, choosing instead to look out into the quiet Bloomsburg night. There was almost no traffic outside, no pedestrians or the occasional stray cat. Life that had been zooming by had come suddenly to a still. The small town around her was drawing in a slow breath, waiting to see what she’d do, knowing what she did about Luke, knowing what she did about Percy. What could she possibly say to them now?

“Yeah. This is great. I’m fantastic.” She mumbled into the window pane. She heard Luke snort and her head whipped to him. He didn’t seem like he was actually about to tack anything on but that didn’t stop her from snapping, “Will you _shut up_?”

Luke shrugged his shoulders, unbothered, and took another bite of his pizza. Percy smirked from next to her like a school boy who’d got his friend into trouble. Annabeth clenched her fist and then released it once, twice, three times. Then she took a deep breath and poked at her salad with a fork. It wasn’t Luke fault that she was jumpy; not really. It was this godforsaken town and its low hanging branches and noiseless streets and empty pizza joints on a Friday night. It was unsettling and _wrong_ and she didn’t want to be asked if she was _okay_.

She was being ripped apart a thousand times over. She was _the furthest_ from _okay_. At any other point of time, she’d have known just what to do; a younger Annabeth would devise a plan to get Luke back to Japan, because Luke’s happiness would far outweigh anybody else’s, her own included. An older Annabeth would know enough about family, would be well enough adapted into Percy’s family, to figure out a way to get Luke to find, and re-find his. But the current Annabeth? She was neither. Too jaded to let him go and too rosy to want him to stay. She was Bloomsburg- static and subdued and entirely _plain_. Luke had caught her in the sticky, confusing in-between.

Time was a sick, twisted game and she couldn’t forget it, even for the blink of an eye- not when Luke and Percy were always _there_ , reflections of all that she was and all that she wanted to be, a harrowing reminder of everything she was not.

Annabeth thought it again- she was the sad, uncomfortable middle. The average, the boring, the unremarkable; she was dithering, conflicted, unsure of herself. It was unchartered territory. She played about with her cherry tomato before stabbing it with her fork.

“I _hate_ salad.”

~

It was nice of both Percy and Luke to offer to take the wheel. It was super uncomfortable that they quickly devolved into a stand-off. If you asked for Annabeth’s opinion, she’d rather they just treat her like their chauffer- she was pretty sure it wasn’t the chauffer’s job to ensure they wouldn’t kill each other.

“You know, Medea once was in a similar situation.” Percy said conversationally, kicking his legs up onto the dashboard as they left the suffocating town of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and hit the highway. Time, once more speeding by, was laughing at her. She’d been granted a few moments of peace, and she’d used it to worry some more. She glanced at Percy and he shrugged his shoulders.

“The whole boyfriend versus brother… who to prioritize, who to save… you know how the story goes.” He said. Luke remained quiet and Annabeth smacked Percy on the chest. She saw his lips pick up in the corners and it meant more to her than anything in the world to see even a hint of a smile on him. Her chest loosened just so slightly, and the motionless town of Bloomsburg started to fade into the darkness.

“Shut up, Jackson.” She mumbled but the idea of chopping Luke to pieces and sprinkling him about the oceans seemed to invigorate Percy at somewhere close to ten in the night.

“Just say the word, I’ve got Riptide right here.” He said in a loud stage-whisper, patting his pocket. Luke didn’t rise to the bait.

“Very funny.” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

She glanced over at Luke to find his eyes closed and his head leaned against the back of the seat. The air was still too thick between them so she knew he wasn’t asleep, just resting his eyes. Perhaps too tired to argue with Percy, perhaps too pensive. In the dark of the night, an uneasy congruence fell upon them for the first time since Luke stole Percy’s breakfast. If nothing else, it gave her the clarity to acknowledge the bubble they were trapped in: Percy, Luke and Annabeth, stewing in cosmic levels of guilt and distrust and rage. Noxious to remain in, dangerous still to break out of.

Time would come to collect, eventually.

The bubble would close in on them or pop under the pressure. Either way, Luke would uproot everything Annabeth had tried to build for herself after he ‘died’. She tried not to worry about it; the last three years with Percy had been good- but stability was only a temporary favor; she was overdue some monumental change in her life. There was no reason for her to worry. This was just typical for Annabeth Chase. She’d have something good, and just when she got comfortable with it, her world would be ripped out from under her feet. This was how it always went.

Still, she felt Percy reach over to pick her phone up and connect it to the speakers and her throat closed up. It was different, though, with Percy- it became a little harder to brace for change when you had something you’re not quite ready to give up.

She thought about how she felt when she ran away from home at seven, and how it was a slap in the face when Luke abandoned her when she was twelve. She’d had dumb luck, youthful naivete and pure power of will to drive her forward then. She had so much to gain back then. Percy was different. Percy was everything she stood to lose; and that was incomparably worse.

“It’s quiet.” She said, nodding to her phone in his hands. _Play some music?_ Percy ran his hand through his hair and breathing became just a little bit more difficult. If Luke took Percy from her, so help her Zeus, she wouldn’t rest until she had his head. Percy’s grin was malicious.

“Oh, I know.” He said. She watched him open up YouTube and turned her attention back onto the road, exactly three seconds before a loud clanging of cymbals made her jump so high in her seat that her head smacked the rearview mirror. She yelped and her fingers tightened instinctively around the wheel as a wailing blasted into her ears.

“Fuck!” She heard Luke cry and she turned to see Percy’s eyes widen and blink innocently back at him.

“Oh sorry, Luke. Were you sleeping?” He yelled over the cacophony. He gestured to his ears. “I’ve gotten very into death metal, lately.”

Annabeth’s head throbbed and her eyes began to water. Her brain was melting through her skull and her hands took it upon themselves to reach out and slam the button, cutting off the speakers. She let out a shaky breath.

“You _dickhead_.” She said. Percy obviously didn’t care that his stupid prank affected her, too, because he reached out ruffled her hair.

“I’m sorry, Annabeth.” He said smugly. “Just thought Luke might enjoy it.”

“Fuck you, Jackson.” Luke grumbled, wiping at his face.

It went on like that. Small quips and lots of swearing. Somewhere about two hours out of Bloomsburg, Percy took over the wheel. Annabeth curled up in the passenger seat and watched trees zip along the edges of the highway like the pulse of a clock.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock_.

There was an irritating rhythm to the trees, like knocks on wooden doors. Wooden doors that have haunted her ever since she’d met the two-faced god of doorways. _One bad decision can ruin your life_ , he’d said. _All the decisions are on your shoulders_. She looked over her shoulder at Luke, who was staring vacantly out the window and realized how stupid she’d been.

What was she _doing_? She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath, counting up to ten. She was a grown woman- she would _not_ cry. Not here, not now, in front of Percy and Luke. She felt her eyes stinging and her throat drying out and the familiar feeling of stress building up behind a gradually weakening dam and tried to distract herself. The smell of Sally Jackson’s cookies, Rachel Elizabeth Dare’s paint splattered jeans, Grover Underwood’s warm hugs. Anything in this world to calm down.

“Annabeth?”

The worst part was that it was Luke who noticed first. She could hear the concern in his voice, tell by the way that the atmosphere became noticeably tighter that he was sitting up, leaning forward, trying to check on her. Her breaths became shakier and shakier, and the harder it became to keep herself together.

“Sweetheart, do you want to pull over? What’s wrong?” Percy’s hand touched her knee and it almost pushed her over the edge.

“I’m fine.” She said after a beat. She looked up at Percy and gave him a small, watery smile and hoped that the nighttime did enough to hide the imminent breakdown enough from him. He searched her face, gaze alternating between her and the road. She reached over and soothed the tension in his brow and pressed a small kiss to his jaw, ignoring the way the seatbelt cut into her neck. “I’m wonderful. Just tired.”

“If you’re sure.” Percy was gracious enough not to make a scene. Behind them, Luke slumped back into his seat.

Annabeth was sure she was one snarky comment from coming apart. Her brain was racing at least twenty miles over the speed limit and her head hurt. She was stuck here, on a two-day journey across the country with men who hated each other, headed to a family who may or may not welcome her, and worst of all- she had no idea why she was subjecting anyone to this. Everybody was losing and it was her fault.

_Time will fix everything_ , Luke had told her once, in a dark cave with the weight of the world slowly crushing her to death. He’d stroked the side of her face and grinned at her- naughty and healthy and entirely able- and unwilling- to help her out. _Time will fix everything, and then you’ll see_.

The trees still passed her by and she thought maybe she’d be able to fix everything too, if she had the luxury of being eternal. Her race had always been against time- against mortality and everything it brought with it. Time was the enemy, even before Kronos. Time gave Annabeth scraps, and just when she built something beautiful out of it, time took a sledgehammer to the foundations.

Could you blame her, then, for wanting to have _one thing_ \- one building, one monument, one love story- that would outlast her?

There was something inherently malicious about the Fates giving her Percy, she thought. Percy, who could have been that- perpetual, laughing in the face of time; Percy, who’d chosen to spend what was the blink of an eye, comparatively- with _her_.

“Why did you do it?” She asked quietly, when her heart stopped squeezing as tightly. Percy looked over at her, one arm holding the wheel loosely, the other on the arm rest between them, tapping along to the far mellower tunes that Annabeth had since picked out. He frowned.

“Do what?”

“Take the offer. You know, after the first war.” She said, glancing up at the sky. So far, their friends upstairs hadn’t struck them with lightning, which she took as a sign that either they didn’t know about the Luke situation, or didn’t care enough. “You wanted to.”

There was a thoughtful expression on Percy’s face, but he remained silent. Luke, however, did not. He kicked his feet up on the top of Percy’s seat, knocking him on the head with a dirty shoe and sighed loudly.

“This is some heavy stuff.” He commented, not seeming particularly bothered by the weight of the discussion at all. “Immortality was kind of a big deal, Percy. Do tell. Us mortal folk are simply _dying_ to know.”

Percy reached over and pushed Luke’s shoes off the back of his seat and scowled.

“I wouldn’t think twice about dropping you off here, on the side of the road in the middle of the night.” He warned. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

His tone was too harsh, too unlike the Percy that Annabeth loved. She looked between Percy and Luke. In all their years, she’d thought he was only upset about Luke on her behalf- but now it felt personal. She wasn’t sure Percy wasn’t entirely joking about slicing Luke up and feeding him to the sharks. Something had happened between them when she was gone, she realized.

The atmosphere was infinitely more hostile, but she noticed another, subtler shift there, too- she’d have to be crazy to call it a mutual respect, so she decided it was _familiarity,_ in the way they spoke to each other. Neither of them was eager to open up to her, as if they shared some deep, dark secret suddenly. She wondered if that’s what it was- that they bonded in their rare gift of both being impossible to speak to when they wanted to be.

Annabeth frowned. She didn’t know how she felt about this new dynamic, and she couldn’t be sure until one of them told her exactly what had happened on her hour-long run, but she knew she didn’t like this one bit.

“I don’t know. I just didn’t want it.” Percy said to her. She waited patiently for him to expand on it. _Tick, tock, tick, tock_. Six hundred ticks of a clock and there was nothing. Annabeth glanced at Luke but he was drifting off to sleep. Even Percy let out a wide yawn.

“Turn off at DuBois.” She kept her voice low so he wouldn’t hear the hurt. “We’ll find like, a motel to crash in for the night.”

In the moonlight, her boyfriend set his jaw and drove, and Annabeth’s chest ached. It didn’t seem fair that she could see how every word she spoke set him closer and closer to an edge, but he wouldn’t even tell her what she was pushing him towards. He must have thought she wouldn’t notice the tightness of his shoulders, the grinding teeth and the stiff brow- but Annabeth _knew_ him- precious eyes the color of emeralds that looked at her with adoration and the beginnings of smile lines on a face too young that has seen too much. She could tell he was battling his demons, much like she was, but it was hard to lean on him when he was hellbent on going through it without her.

He didn’t speak a word as he drove, all the way until they pulled into the driveway of a motel. He volunteered to go get them a room, and then argued with Luke about who should be the one to do it. It seemed that neither trusted the other to not leave them freezing out in the cold, so they both trudged over together, far enough apart that they could pass for strangers. Annabeth watched them go in the dead of night.

It was the silence, she thought. The silence was going to be the death of her.

~

Her dream was taken over by a pine tree that she didn’t recognize. A pine tree that started off as a pine seedling and it grew and it grew, alone in the plains. It grew in the day and it grew under the moon. It grew until it was unrecognizable from the seedling. Nobody saw the tree. Nobody marveled at its growth, nobody took a photo, or sat under its shade. The tree was planted, it grew, and then after some time, it died. And nobody had even taken notice.

Annabeth’s eyes flew wide open and she stared up at the damp ceiling. Light from the flashy sign for Rockwell Motel shined through the crack in the blinds, casting vague shadows on the walls. She checked her phone that was charging in the port, careful not to wake her sleeping boyfriend.

4:09AM.

She looked over at Percy, who was lying on her side, his chest rising and falling steadily, and then at Luke on the spare bed, who looked like a motionless mass of cheap sheets. Quietly as she could, she rolled out of bed and pulled on her shoes and coat before slipping out of their crummy room.

She stepped out into the cool morning and took a deep breath. Her legs were sore from the long car ride and her heart ached from Percy shrinking away from her, but the fresh air didn’t care. DuBois was a sleepy town at a little past four in the morning. She caught sight of a familiar figure on the far end of the parking lot and walked up to him.

Neither of them was surprised to see the other awake, and maybe that was telling of their relationship.

“I thought you were in bed.” She said.

Luke stood an entire head taller than her, and when he looked down at her with one brow raised, she never felt tinier. She didn’t remember that about him. She’d been a small child, malnourished from days on the run and cruel punishments at home- he’d never regarded her the way he did now. She’d never felt less than in his presence. He leaned over the railing and stared up at the sky for a moment before scowling. Then again, maybe Luke had been small then too. She’d just been smaller.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He said by way of explanation. “It’s early.”

“You know how it can be.” Annabeth said.

Luke nodded and kept his eye on anything but her. The tiniest sliver of morning light emanating in the horizon, DuBois below their feet, the stars still twinkling overhead. Annabeth couldn’t bear to blink, afraid she’d miss his movement somehow. She’d looked away from him once before, and look where they’ve landed up.

“You shouldn’t be upset.” Luke said through gritted teeth, like he was talking against his own will. Annabeth raised her brows but he stared intently at the metal railing under his fingers. “About the whole… immortality thing. You’re not holding him. _He_ chose _you_.”

He’d always had a way of reading her, knowing her biggest worries and insecurities. She realized now that it’s less because he was wise beyond his years and more because he shared them. How had Luke even known what happened, Annabeth wondered. Had Percy told him? Had Percy perhaps told him what was going through his mind when he did? Immediately she felt a pang of jealousy. Why would her boyfriend talk to _Luke Castellan_ about something he wouldn’t tell her?

She could tell Percy was bothered by something, even if he wouldn’t come clean. Annabeth had seen him in every form- with the throaty laugh and the sparkling eyes and the bruised knees. She knew Percy- knew when he was happy and when he was angry and when he was hungry. All she knew now was that he was standing somewhere she couldn’t reach, watching a world he wouldn’t share with her. Whatever was hurting him hurt her, too; and it stung the most that Luke seemed more tuned in than she was.

“He never said he chose me.”

“No.” Luke agreed. “Say he chose time over eternity. It’s the same thing.”

“How?”

“You’re temporary.” He said. “And if he finds someone after you… that will be temporary, too. But Percy. Percy will have _been_. He’ll have been so long that at some point he and his dad could be considered the same age. And then he’ll be some more.”

“And what?” Annabeth laughed with little humor. “It’s that bad to be Percy Jackson forever?”

Luke met her eye then and she could tell he wasn’t joking when he shook his head.

“Might be.” He said. “For him.”

It was the honesty that threw Annabeth off. She blinked at him, waiting for some stupid punchline, one half-hearted insult thrown Percy’s way- but it never came. Luke almost looked apologetic. As apologetic as he could get, at least. Annabeth frowned.

“Do you know something I don’t?” She asked. Luke nodded and swallowed.

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“I don’t know.” Luke said. Annabeth thought it was as good a time as any other to strangle him. Why bring it up if he was never planning on explaining himself? She glared at him but his expression was genuine. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Buggy, I just think you and your boyfriend should talk.”

Annabeth hated that name. _Buggy_. Luke had been the one to put together her Halloween costume when she was seven years old. She’d gone as a ladybug. One of the bigger Ares kids had broken her wing and she’d bitten his arm. Luke had been so tickled- _I think Buggy suits you. Because all you do is bug me_ , he’d said. Annabeth had never thought it a nasty name. It felt like a kick in the teeth now, so many years later. As if no time had passed. As if he still knew her like that. Buggy was a part of a life she’d left behind and had no intentions of going back to. Stupid fucking name, she thought. Buggy was _ugly_.

“Stay out of my relationship.” Her voice came out, frosty as the morning air

“You’re angry.” Luke noted. Annabeth contemplated it for a moment, and then shook her head.

“I’m not.” She said. Luke waited. He had a gift when it came to reading what it was that people needed. She sighed. “I’m confused, I guess.”

“Confused enough to go back to your parents?” Luke asked. He didn’t buy it and it was clear that if Annabeth had fooled herself into believing her indecision was just confusion, he wasn’t impressed. “It’s the matter of one invisibility cap.”

“No… it’s not.” Annabeth looked up at him. He was so handsome, stood there so open under the flickering lights. In another world she’d have been proud to call him her brother. Well-spoken and charming and tall. There was no acknowledgement of exactly what he was asking of her- maybe he wasn’t aware, maybe he didn’t care. She took a shaky breath. “You’re asking for my help. That’s worth more than just the cap.”

Luke nodded his head slightly. “Sure.”

He was asking her to risk her life. To risk _Percy’s_ life. He was asking her to turn a blind eye to doing the right thing, asking for her time and her effort and her well wishes. He was asking for family and for Annabeth to, on her own, render his past- _their_ past- moot. Her head throbbed.

“You wanted me around for long enough to see if I could make a life out of this.” Luke said after a beat. He gestured vaguely to the space between them. “Unless you want a third roommate, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Annabeth looked at him and he shrugged his shoulders helplessly. He ran a hand through his hair.

“Annabeth, I know you’ll try. You’ll try your hardest and it’s one of the best things about you.” He reached his hand out but didn’t touch her. The decision was hers, and she didn’t move. “But I’m not staying. Whether or not you want me to… I can’t hang around.”

“We can figure something out. Go on a quest, earn a reward. Maybe get you a chance to prove yourself.” Annabeth protested. She hated how desperate she sounded, but her options were currently between sending Luke off to his lonely life and carting him off to a death sentence. This was _Luke_. The same boy who’d kiss the top of her head when she had a bad dream and let her snuggle into his side at the campfire. This was her _brother_.

“I’m pretty sure the quest was going to have to be _monumental_.” He said. “And usually, _I’m_ the monumental threat to warrant a quest that big. It’s over. It’s been over since you weaved me that shroud.”

“It was beautiful.” She told him. “Silver and blue. Your favorite colors.”

“Wish I could have been there.” Luke didn’t miss a beat. Then he hesitated. “What was it like?”

How could he want to know? Annabeth looked at him, but his gaze was firmly on the bannister under his fingers. _Nobody came. Only two people mourned you. Even your best friend didn’t shed a tear. Didn’t say one word about you. She came as a formality and left when she got the chance. People spit your name when you’re mentioned now. They celebrate the day you died and tell stories of how you were the reason their siblings were killed_.

“Sad.” She told him. She couldn’t tell if he understood her or _understood_ her. He nodded once, his lips pursed.

“Yeah.” He said gruffly. “That’s what I thought.”

A moment passed, and then two. Annabeth found that she didn’t feel the discomfort now, between just her and Luke, that she did in the car. Things were more natural, somehow, when it was the two of them. Like they were when it’s her and Percy alone. It was the three of them together that was the wrench in the works. If she were braver, she might have toyed with the idea that Percy and Luke felt the same way about each other when she wasn’t around, either.

“Just tell me this.” She begged. It didn’t matter to her- not her pride, not the utter humiliation of pleading with Luke Castellan. If Percy thought something important enough to open up to Luke - she needed to know. “Is he okay? Will he be okay?”

“I think so.” Luke said. He studied her for a moment. “I hope so.”

“Is that good enough?”

“No.” Luke admitted. “But it’s all I can give you.”

The sun began to peek from just under the horizon, the skies slowly starting to take on hues of reds and pink. They stood there in silence, watching until the dawn cast a bronze glow over Luke’s face. His hair and eyes reflected off the color, making him look like the sun himself.

“I’m scared I’ll lose him.” She confessed. _Tick, tock, tick, tock_.

“You’re insane.” Luke told her without batting an eye. “If you don’t see how much that annoying _fuck_ loves you, you’re certifiably insane.”

“You know how people I love sometimes have a tendency to choose a new family or the destruction of the West over me.” She shrugged. “Sometimes it’s kind of like- a ticking time bomb, you know? I’ll lose him somehow, somewhere, and… I just don’t know if I can afford that.”

“You’ve gotten through it before.” Luke pointed out, ignoring her dig at him.

“It’s different with Percy.” She didn’t know how to tell him he never meant half as much to her as Percy did. He was the love of her life, her best friend, the one person she always wanted to go back home to.

“Yeah.” Luke agreed. “I can see that it is.”

“What do I do?”

“You hold on, I guess.”

It was solid advice, even if it was entirely useless. A comfortable silence settled over them until the sun turned yellow at eye-level. Luke cleared his throat.

“Why are you helping me?”

“I haven’t decided-” She started and Luke snorted.

“Cut the shit, Annabeth. Nobody deliberates for a _month_ about something they don’t want to do.” He rolled his eyes. “You don’t know what to make of me. That’s fine. I don’t really know what to make of you, either. But going to your family? What’s the play here?”

What _was_ the play, Annabeth wondered. “I- I need some clarity, I guess.” She thought out loud. “You’re my family, and… I suppose Fred and Laura are my family too. And you’ve all let me down.”

“So what, this is just some long-winded excuse to show your dad you’re bigger than your problems?”

“No….” Annabeth mulled it over. “It’s to find out just how far I’ll go for family, I think.”

“San Francisco is pretty far.” Luke said after a moment had passed between them.

“Japan is farther.”

Annabeth might have stood there with him all day, trying to pluck up the courage to tell him how much he means to her and how that doesn’t absolve him for what he did to the people she loved the most. Luckily for her, she heard the creaking open of a door and spotted Percy, hair sticking up and a scowl on his face, typical of her boyfriend on an early morning. Her heart swelled with affection as she watched him look around before catching sight of them. He padded over to them and an arm out for Annabeth to curl herself into his side. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head when she did and looked between the both of them.

“You look like shit.” He observed. “Did you get any sleep at all?”

“Just enough.” Annabeth lied. “Long day ahead of us.”

Percy nodded. “I’ll drive and you can get some rest. Come on. Let’s get you showered and get this show on the road.”

He walked Annabeth back to their crummy motel room and she breathed him in- he smelled like freshly cut grass and sea breeze and everything that reminded Annabeth of joy. Luke ducked into the shower and she let Percy play with her fingers as they chatted aimlessly, not missing how he pointedly steered clear of discussing their most pressing concerns.

There were some moments in life when Annabeth was afforded clarity. Sitting here, on Percy’s lap, his hands playing with hers, the world was profoundly lucid. It didn’t matter, she decided, that he was holding back. Didn’t matter that he was going through something and wasn’t ready to speak about it. Annabeth was going to be there for him- against all odds, against the course of time and despite all the hurt that might bring her. For the first time in her life, she had something worth losing- and she wasn’t ready to go down without a fight.

“I love you.” She told him as he absently kissed her knuckles and rambled on about the epic Mets game they missed last night. “With my whole heart. Forever, probably”

He looked up at her, those large green eyes wide and searching her face. The barest hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

“Why?” he asked quietly.

“Because you’re here.”

“And if I wasn’t?”

“I’d have loved whichever sorry fool was next in line, I guess.” Annabeth told him and Percy chuckled. He leaned up and kissed her- a searing, quick kiss- and then pulled away.

“It’s a good thing I stayed, then.”

“It is, yeah.”


End file.
